He said the number of Republican ballots was about on par with past similar elections, but the Democratic total was about half of many similar previous elections.

Saar believes it's more likely the Democrat ballot number was low because of a lack of races featuring Democrats, as opposed to thousands of Democrats pulling Republican ballots in an effort to shift the primary results of the opposing party.

"I think the simplest explanation is the right one," he said.

Saar said he saw higher voter turnout in districts with school referendums, especially, along with Illinois House District 81, which saw incumbent Ron Sandack narrowly defeat challenger Keith Matune.

"I canvassed ten percent of the precincts," he said. "I could see predictably high turnout tended to be areas with propositions and hot races."